HIVMA Names Marwan S. Haddad, MD, MPH, as Chair of its Board of Directors

New board members affirm commitment to work to address health disparities and end the HIV epidemic

Arlington, Virginia—Sept. 28, 2021—The HIV Medicine Association is pleased to announce the election of a vice chair and three new members to its Board of Directors and to name Marwan S. Haddad, MD, MPH, as its new chair. HIVMA is dedicated to ending the HIV epidemic and provides a community for health care professionals who advance a comprehensive and humane response to the HIV pandemic, informed by science and social justice. The board terms will begin Oct. 6.

Dr. Haddad is the medical director of the Center for Key Populations for Community Health Center, Inc., one of the largest community health centers in the nation, based in Middletown, Connecticut. A family medicine trained physician, he has been a leader in expanding access in his community to integrated primary care, HIV, hepatitis C virus and substance use treatment services for LGBTQ individuals, people who inject drugs, those without stable housing and recently incarcerated individuals. Dr. Haddad has extended his reach by using tele-education platforms to support clinicians in providing high-quality, comprehensive care in diverse settings throughout the U.S. and globally.

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen this disease affect some of the same populations in our communities that have been disproportionately impacted by HIV, which has underscored the importance of improving access to integrated and comprehensive health care services for all,” said Dr. Haddad, who also served on the HIVMA Board of Directors from 2017 to 2020. “To address COVID-19 and to end the HIV epidemic, we must address the underlying drivers of these health inequities.”

Allison Agwu, MD, ScM, FIDSA, was elected to serve as HIVMA Vice Chair. She is a professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, where she also directs the Pediatric Adolescent Young Adult HIV/AIDS Program and serves as medical director of the Accessing Care Early Clinic at the John G. Bartlett Infectious Disease Practice. Trained in adult and pediatric infectious diseases, Dr. Agwu’s research focuses on optimizing care and treatment of children, youth and young adults with HIV. Her interactions with patients of all ages have provided her with an in-depth understanding of multi-level determinants of health, which has informed her clinical, research and advocacy efforts, including for HIVMA. She will serve as vice chair of the association.

The three newly elected HIVMA board members are:

Lydia Aoun Barakat, MD, is an associate professor of medicine in the Section of Infectious Disease at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, medical director of the Yale HIV Ambulatory Clinic and program director of the Yale HIV Primary Care Track. She is also project director of the New England AIDS Education and Training Center’s Connecticut site. Dr. Barakat brings more than two decades of experience caring for people with HIV, teaching future providers and building several HIV programs. She has conducted and collaborated on several clinical trials and research initiatives that have contributed to the field. In response to an alarming shortage of HIV providers, she also established a state-of-the-art HIV training program within Yale’s primary care residency program. Barakat believes that serving on the HIVMA board with the network of exceptional colleagues, offers a boundless opportunity to advance HIV patient care, enhance educational opportunities and build bridges for diversity, inclusion and health equity.

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, MPH, LCSW, PMHNP-BC, ANP-BC, is a professor and dean of the School of Nursing at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where he is also Vice Chancellor for Nursing Affairs and the director of the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health. An advanced practice provider, Dr. Guilamo-Ramos specializes in youth-focused HIV primary care and clinical HIV prevention, and, as a clinical researcher, focuses on developmentally tailored HIV service delivery models for youth. As a researcher, administrator, and an HIV clinician with expertise in the developmental needs of youth with and at risk for HIV, he looks forward to bringing this unique perspective to the board’s work.
Philip Bolduc, MD, is an associate professor of family medicine and community health at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester and associate medical director for special populations at the Family Health Center of Worcester. Principal investigator at the New England AIDS Education and Training Center, he also directs a community-based HIV and viral hepatitis fellowship program. Drawn to HIV medicine for its unique combination of medical, social and psychological challenges, Dr. Bolduc believes family medicine can play a key role in delivering HIV care to vulnerable populations. He considers serving on the board an exciting opportunity to collaborate with others on the national level who are passionate about advancing HIV research, care and prevention.

Joining Drs. Haddad and Agwu on the Executive Committee of the HIVMA Board of Directors will be Chair-Elect Michelle Cespedes, MD, MS, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Immediate Past Chair Rajesh T. Gandhi, MD, FIDSA, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; and the HIVMA Representative to the IDSA Board Wendy Armstrong, MD, FIDSA, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.

The following members will continue their service on the HIVMA Board:

Ernie-Paul Barrette, MD, FIDSA, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
Tyler B. Evans, MD, MS, MPH, DTM&H, FIDSA, University of Southern California, Scotts Valley
John Fangman, MD, Mass General Brigham Community Physicians, Somerville, Massachusetts
Rachel Bender Ignacio, MD, MPH, University of Washington, Seattle
Mamta K. Jain, MD, MPH, FIDSA, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
Nathanial Nolan, MD MPH, Liaison to the IDSA ID Fellows Subcommittee, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
Anna K. Person, MD, FIDSA, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Brentwood, Tennessee
Kimberly Scarsi, PharmD, MS, University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, Omaha
Jeri Sumitani, MMSc, PA-C, Grady Health System, Atlanta, Georgia
Donna Sweet, MD, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Wichita

About the HIV Medicine Association
HIVMA is the professional home for more than 5,000 physicians, scientists, and other health care professionals dedicated to the field of HIV/AIDS. The Infectious Diseases Society of America created HIVMA to promote quality in HIV care and advocates policies that ensure a comprehensive and humane response to the HIV pandemic informed by science and social justice. See more at www.hivma.org.